To feel at home, Mexico-based photographer David Vallejo just needs his camera and a perfect shot to pursue with all his passion. Whether he's at the top of the world in New York, or in Michocan, Mexico playing with his dog in a pool.

Using tongs, hold the corn over a gas flame and cook, turning, until nicely charred. When cool enough to handle, cut the kernels off the cobs and set aside.

Soak the saffron in the hot water for at least 15 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.Using the same pan, heat another 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, bell peppers, and 1 teaspoon of the smoked paprika and sauté until just tender, about 3 minutes. Add the corn, cauliflower, and tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add to the mushrooms.

Heat the stock in a saucepan and hold it at a simmer. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a soup pot or traditional paella pan over medium heat. Add the rice and stir until well coated, about 30 seconds. Add the salt and the saffron water and cook, stirring, until it is absorbed. Add 1⁄2 cup of the simmering stock to the rice and cook, stirring, until the rice has absorbed it all. Continue adding the liquid in 1⁄2-cup increments and stirring until the rice has absorbed it, until the rice is tender, not mushy, and retains its bite, 25 to 30 minutes.

To get the socarrat, or caramelized crust on the rice, uncover the pot and increase the heat to high. Cook until the rice crackles and smells toasty, being careful not to burn it. Add the mushroom mixture and sausage and stir. Cook over medium heat, scraping the bottom of the pot so the rice doesn’t stick, for about 3 minutes.

Remove from the heat, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rest for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary.

Sprinkle the paella with the remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon of smoked paprika and the optional scallions.

Argentinean photographer, Ignacio Lehmann, has traveled all over the world “catching kisses.” His project began a couple years ago in New York City, where he photographed his first 100 kisses in one city. Since then, he has traveled through Europe, South America and Asia searching for more kisses.

Dr. James Vreeland was an archeologist studying pre-Columbian textiles on the northern coast of Peru, when he noticed that the ancient fibers he was observing under the microscope appeared to be naturally pigmented, not dyed. The existence of colored cotton had been all but forgotten and was really only known to local peasant farmers of that region.

Bareto is performing for hundreds of grinning fans crammed into Stage 48, a large venue frozen to the skirts of the Hudson River Piers. Concert-goers in their 20s and 30s are frantically waving their arms in the frost, singing along to modern renditions of classic Peruvian cumbia, or chicha, a genre which, until recently, carried a lower class stigma that many Peruvians turned their backs on.

Once a month in Mexico City, La Galería de Comercio presents a project that promotes public encounters on a corner of Calle Comercio and Calle Martí in the Colonia Escandón. Unlike typical white-cube galleries, La Galería de Comercio embraces the street, with its everyday activities, and produces events that adhere to the streets’ structural and social conditions.

"Back in Bolivia, in Cochabamba, there is a busy avenue, called El Prado, with a strip of restaurants, bars and chicherias. It’s where everyone goes to take out a date or family. There’s a beautiful promenade at the end of the avenue, but right before it, you’ll see Oogi. It’s a modest looking salteña shop, which boasts, I think, the best salteñas in Bolivia."

Every country plays as they are. Brazil wasn't truthful to themselves, to what they are supposed to be. I mean playing soccer as the expression of culture. And that's why they failed. Brazil has to be fun, has to be creative, and has to have players with the characteristics that historically have represented Brazilian soccer.

"A traditional Sandwich de Chicharron Peruano is made with pork shoulder brazed for a long time. The pork is then sliced and served on a roll, with mayo, salsa criolla—onions, cilantro, lime—and sliced sweet potatoes. In Peru, the sandwich is eaten for breakfast or Sunday brunch."

"A pupusa is a corn tortilla shape stuffed with various types of filling, typically pork, beans and cheese. It comes from El Salvador, where it is the national dish. The second Sunday in November is national pupusa day."

"I started selling Cuban-style, fresh corn tamales at Zafra, when we opened our restaurant in 2000. Today we make about five different types from different parts of Latin America. We felt that tamales were an essential part of the Latin American diet, and one of the most spectacular foods from our part of the world. It was inconceivable to open a Cuban-Latino restaurant without tamales."

"Back in Buenos Aires, empanadas are what people order for parties at home. They can be a full meal or an appetizer. My favorite two places in Buenos Aires are La Cocina and La Tucumanita, in Barrio Norte, two blocks away from where I used to live."

"Arepas are made with corn and come in many varieties: pelao, de huevo, de mote, etc. I started selling arepas thirty years ago. It was the only way for me to survive in New York City and feed my kids."

"I first encountered Colombian-style hot dogs in Miami while I was living there for school. We would stumble into these crazy all-night places in suburban strip malls that were cranking house music and filled with Latin club kids wearing sunglasses at 5 a.m."